holism vs reudtcionism

• Holism


  Taking a holistic approach to research involves the researcher using a range of methods (usually qualitative) in order to achieve a fuller understanding of a topic
• Holistic research will not just focus on one, limited explanation of a behaviour or phenomenon, rather it will take into account the various different explanations that may contribute to it
• Humanistic approach


  The only approach that takes a fully holistic approach to understanding behaviour with its emphasis on phenomenology
• Holistic research


  • Rutter (2011) used a longitudinal design, allowing the researchers to track the physical, cognitive, social and emotional development of adopted Romanian orphans, taking into account an array of factors that could have influenced their development
• Holistic method


  • The cognitive interview could be argued to be a more holistic method of interviewing witnesses than previous police techniques as it incorporates the full context of the event from multiple perspectives and timepoints
• Holistic approach


  Looks for internal and external explanations of behaviour e.g. biological, psychological, social
• Reductionism


  A reductionist approach involves using a highly specific, often simplistic, 'reduced' explanation for a complex behaviour
• Holistic approach


  Involves taking into account a full range of possible explanations
• The difference between explaining behaviour via its fundamental constituents (reductionism) or by taking into account all aspects of the behaviour (holism) is the essence of this debate
• Biological reductionism


  The idea that biological functions and structures can explain behaviours
• Environmental reductionism


  The idea that external forces determine outcomes and behaviour
• Behaviourist approach includes environmental determinism; its emphasis on the stimulus-response dynamic of classical conditioning reduces complex behaviours such as the development of a phobia to a simplistic learning process
• Levels of explanation


  • Increasingly holistic ways of explaining specific behaviours from the simplistic to the more complex
  • Biological level is the most reductionist
  • Psychological level based on cognitive approach
  • Social and cultural level is the highest
• Some researchers and theorists do not 'trust' the higher levels of explanation, preferring a more parsimonious approach
• Levels of explanation


  From the rich, explanatory data of qualitative research down to increasingly scientific and reductionist methods
• Arguments in support of reductionism

  • Helps to isolate key variables
  • Breaking down behaviour into component parts can help formulate therapies
• Arguments against reductionism


  • Can over-simplify complex behaviours
  • Self-report measures do not give a full, valid picture of each individual
• Reductionism is often cited as a limitation of research so you should ensure that you also outline the strengths of reductionism (if the question permits) as this will add an extra dimension to your AO3 exam responses